Schifferstadt Museum & Gift Shop

Built around 1758, Schifferstadt Architectural Museum is the one of the oldest and most historic buildings in the City of Frederick, Maryland, and among the best examples of early Colonial German Architecture in the country. Built at the beginning of the French and Indian War as frontier settlers abandoned their western Maryland farms in fear of raids from the French and their Indian allies, Schifferstadt could have been built to provide a refuge for families west of Frederick who chose to stay on their land should they need it. Joseph Bruner, a German immigrant and his family left their village of Klein Schifferstadt in 1729 in hopes of gaining independence, including the right to own property and build a home in the "New Land." He purchased 303 acres of virgin timber in 1746, cleared and farmed the land, and built a modest wood structure for his family home. Joseph Bruner named his farm Schifferstadt after his hometown in the Palatinate region of South Western Germany. Joseph's eighth and youngest son, Elias Bruner, bought the farm from his father in 1753,and built the stone farmhouse in 1758 that we know today as Schifferstadt. Although its exterior and interior have been altered over the years, Schifferstadt maintains many original architectural features.